Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder
by StarryTian
Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin. . .
1. The Rescue

Title: Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder

Authoress: StarryTian

Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin.. .

Discalimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I don't really want to. Whoever owns them right now is doing a FATASTIC and INCREDIBLE job at it! _(-applauds-)_

* * *

"So… whatcha doing over the weekend?" Raven Roth asked, as she and Kori walked home from school.

Kori thought about it for second. "Umm… truth to be told, I am unsure what to do. You never will know! Something amazing might happen!" She inwardly thought about her best friend, Richard Grayson. Lately, she had been thinking about him more than usual… maybe… as for than a friend? _'Oh please,' _she chided herself. '_This is most cheesy!'_ and quickly shoved the idea out of her mind.

Raven scoffed. "Yeah, uh huh."

Raven was Kori's best girl friend, although they were almost complete opposites: While Kori was perky and optimistic; Raven was dark and almost gothic. It was their last week at Jump City High School, and with the prospect of summer soon approaching, there was an excited aura in the air.

"Mhhmmm…but it still might, will it not?"

Raven sighed and turned to her forever-cheerful friend, but upon looking at the expression on her face, she decided not to ruin the cheerful mood. Once the 'Walking' sign shone white, the two girls started to cross the street. "Sure…. But, -KORI, WATCH OUT!"

The girl whipped around, causing her red hair to flow all around her, as her jade eyes locked on the target. Or in this case, she _was_ the target. Hurtling at 40mph, a delivery truck was headed straight for her, with no intention of stopping whatsoever.

Kori screamed while Raven closed her eyes and ran for her life. However, Kori was too paralyzed to move. She stared at the truck and an odd silence pressed upon her ears, causing her to neither hear the screams of the pedestrians around her, nor the bus driver, yelling at her to get out of the way.

She stood there.

Squinting her eyes closed, Kori clutched her school belongings and tilted her head to the ground, her hair shielding the panicked look on her face. She knew this was the end. No one in Jump City could ever save her now…

Kori whimpered and thought of all the things that she never got to do. All the things she never said. She would never have her first boyfriend, never have her first kiss… never tell Richard how she felt…

She counted the last seconds of her life.

Three…

Two…

Kori prepared for the impact, no longer paralyzed but unable to move; her feet were so stubbornly glued to the ground.

One.

Suddenly, a red, green, and yellow blur dashed across the street, and swept the frozen girl off her feet. Kori felt herself leave the ground as her savior ran to a safe spot on the road, then toppled over, unable to stop them both. With a small grunt, the rescuer maneuvered him underneath her, making sure she was safe.

Ignoring the cheers and applause of the residents around him, he gently helped her up and panted, "You okay?"

Kori looked up and him and gasped. "Y-you're Robin!" she exclaimed shakily, as all the fan girls started to scream and grab at him. Being a second away from life can be quite a traumatizing experience.

Robin nodded and half-smiled. "Are you okay?" he repeated, still holding her hand in reassurance.

"Yes---OUCH!…" She stopped in mid-sentence and looked down at her left arm, gaping at what she saw. There was a long, red, gash with blood streaming out of it, and Kori winced as she felt the searing pain. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep.

"Oh…" Robin noticed the injury. "Um… wow, you're lucky K-uh-miss, it looks like the cut just barely missed a main vein! Luckily, you won't need any stitches…"

She winced again and nodded. "That is… exceptional news."

Kori sneaked a peek at her 'knight in shining armor', who was still examining her arm, and blushed. He was so… what was the word again? Warm? Yes, he was so warm! With his ebony black locks spiked up to perfection and his mask looking ever so mysterious, he was just unbelievably… perfect. He smiled at her again.

In the meantime, all the girls were screaming and yelling at Robin, which made communication hard for them. Kori just couldn't look away. She had this strange nagging feeling that she _knew_ him… somehow.

"Kori! Kori!" Raven came rushing over to her and stopped when she saw Robin. "Uhh… hi?" She gave him a look that said quite clearly, 'Can you give us a moment?'

Robin nodded and said, "Well, the ambulance is on its way, so I better be going. See you around."

And with that, he shot his grappling hook at a nearby roof, and skillfully leapt over the crowd, disappearing from view. All the girls let out an audible groan and started to dissipate.

Raven frowned. "Wait, what does he mean by 'see you around'? Did you say something, Kori? Kori?"

But the said girl was still staring at where Robin was…the thought of him just couldn't leave her mind. The way he smiled, the way he rescued her, the way he… She stopped. '_Okay, Kori'_ she scolded herself. '_Stop thinking about him… what would Richard---_' She gasped. Richard. Feeling unbelievably guilty, she bowed her head down in shame and silently apologized over and over again.

"KORI!" Raven inwardly flinched. Normally, she would've _never_ yelled. Never. With a capital 'n'. But things were a little different now, and she could risk her reputation by helping out her friend.

Finally, Kori looked up. "Raven, where is Richard?"

"I dunno, I think he's playing basketball with Garfield and Vict—oh, there's the ambulance…"

The vehicle screeched to a stop and its loud siren caused many onlookers to cover their ears. Immediately, a team of expert handlers came out and swiftly carried her on a white stretcher, ignoring the patient's requests.

"Please put me down!" she yelled over the siren. "I am not in any dire situation! Can you hear me? Please put me down!"

One of them looked at her and said loudly, "Sorry miss, but we had direct order from Batman and Robin to escort you to the emergency room!"

Kori flushed at the mention of Robin and couldn't help but feel strangely honored and proud that Robin had been so thoughtful. She nodded and let herself be put in the ambulance.

* * *

Robin landed swiftly on the ground and clicked his grappling hook back. He put it in his belt and promptly hopped aboard the R-Cycle, speeding towards the Wayne Mansion. All the way there, he thought of her… '_Damn it, man! You almost let her go! One more second and…'_ Robin involuntarily shuddered as he was met with a horrifying picture showing Kori in a pool of blood…

Quickly shoving the picture in the back of his mind, he parked the motorcycle outside the gate and jumped over it instead, having no time to ring for Alfred. Running at top speed, Robin quickly took a detour on the left and stopped at his bedroom window, pulling out a bird-a-rang. After expertly picking the lock on the outside, Robin heaved the heavy glass windowpane up and leapt into the room.

Just then, the phone rang.

"Richard!" came his adopted father, Bruce Wayne's, voice from the intercom. "Please pick it up!"

"Uhhh… Can you do it?" he said hurriedly, while ripping his mask off and placing it on his desk.

"I'm busy!" Bruce's voice crackled through the box. "Get it! Now!"

Without responding, Robin quickly grabbed the phone and said, "Hello?"

"Richard?" came Kori's voice, while he hastily stripped off his uniform.

"UH… yeah! Waddaya need? Are you okay?" he asked, hopping to the bathroom with the phone sandwiched between his shoulder and left ear.

"I am well," Kori assured. "I am merely in the emergency room, while the doctors are still examining my cut…"

Robin gave a pretend-gasp, as though this news was new to him. Of course, it was _him_ who had sent the ambulance there. "No way! Kori, are you okay!"

"Yes, I am fine. But where are you? I am worried! Everybody, my mom, my dad, Raven, Garfield, and Victor are all here!"

"Uhh…" he rapidly twisted the knob on the sink and doused his gelled hair in the water that came gushing out. "I'll be there! Bruce just wanted me for… uh… something!"

Robin could almost hear the disappointment in her voice. "Oh."

"But I'll be there as soon as I'm done with that… thing… that he wants me to do, 'kay?" he reassured her, as he grabbed a towel and dried his hair so that it flopped over his eyes.

"Okay! I will see you soon! Goodbye!"

"Bye!"

He threw the towel on the floor and hurriedly hung up, while he snatched a pair of jeans and slipped them on. Then, adjusting his hair, he quickly put on a clean shirt and stared at his reflection. He wasn't Robin anymore. He was Richard Grayson now. Then, he raced out the door and hopped on his other motorcycle, speeding to the Jump City Hospital.

* * *

Kori hung up and looked at her left arm. "Nurse? Will my arm be okay?" she asked like a child.

The nurse smiled at her and smiled reassuringly. "Yes, it'll be fine. The blood's stopped flowing, but the cut's still tender so I'll just get you some crème, and you'll be fine."

She nodded and held her arm tenderly as the nurse exited the room.

"Duuuuuuude…" Garfield Logan said, clearly awed. "Look at that!" he pointed to the obvious.

Raven rolled her eyes and smacked him on the head. "Don't be so rude!"

Kori's mom shook her head. "Well, it looks like you're okay, honey. I still don't understand why you're in the emergency room…"

"Don't you remember? Batman and_ Robin_ wanted to make sure she was okay," her dad teased her.

Kori flushed and mumbled something incoherent.

"We'll be going now," her mother said, following her husband out the door. "Have to go back to work. See ya!"

Kori said goodbye and when the door closed, she looked around at her friends, as if daring them to say something. Her eyes traveled to Garfield Logan, the prankster, the happy-go-lucky person; Then, to Victor Stone, the all around athlete and brotherly-type person, and the type who could be friends with anyone. It was amazing how her group of friends could be so diverse… so different. And how they came to be… Kori shook her head. That was another story for another time.

Garfield and Victor looked and each other and smirked. As if on cue, they burst out singing, "_Robin and Kor-ri, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G…"_

Raven rolled her eyes again and smacked Garfield on the head again. "Stop being so immature. How you got into high school, I'll never know…"

Garfield merely grinned, and at that precise moment, Richard burst through the door, ignoring the protests from the nurses behind him.

"_Richard!_" Kori yelled, happily throwing her arms around him as he embraced her. "You came!"

"Of course!" He smiled at her. "Now, tell me exactly what happened."

And Kori did. Even thought Richard and Raven already knew exactly what happened, it was still exciting to hear it from the victim's point of view. Using elaborate hand gestures with her unharmed hand, Kori showed them how Robin had saved her.

"… and then, he just came out of nowhere and snatched me in the middle of the road!" she exclaimed, while snapping her fingers for effect, showing how quick Robin was.

Garfield smirked again. "Ah… I see! Soo… ROBIN LIKES YOU, RO-BIN LIKES YOU!"

This only earned another smack from Raven, and a groan from him.

Richard tried to ignore Garfield and motioned for Kori to go on.

"So then, he helped me up and… well…" she flushed a bit. "He just took care of me so much… that I… well…"

"What?" Richard demanded. "What did he do?"

Victor whispered something to Garfield, whose eyes lit up again. Raven looked weary as she brought her hand up to smack him again.

"Well… he was… sweet," Kori concluded. "His mask… hair… and … skills…" she sighed dreamily.

Richard frowned. "So? He's not _that _great!" He inwardly cursed this Robin guy, only to realize a second later that he was jealous of himself.

"Oh--, no!" Kori amended, hoping she didn't give Richard the wrong impression. "He was merely my rescuer, nothing else!"

"Mmmhmmm…"

Part of him was glad that Kori like Robin so much, but the other half was unbelievably jealous of him. She'll never know that it was _him_ under that mask. She'll never know it was _him_ that rescued her. She'll never know that _Robin_ was sitting right in front of her!

"Eh… well…" he shook his bangs to the side. "At least you won't be seeing him any time soon."

"Actually…" Kori said slowly. "Robin _did _say 'see you around'. Do you suppose this means anything?"

'_Crap,'_ Richard thought.

"Uhh… I don't think so… "

"Oh," the disappointment was clearly heard in her voice. "I wish to see him again…"

Richard scowled. "No, you don't!"

At that moment, Victor and Garfield both yelled, "_RICHARD'S JEEAAALLOUUSS!_"

_-SMACK-_

* * *

A/N: Hey there! The next chapter will feature our favorite teen super-hero (or at least mine) … ROBIN meeting Kori again!

Please review and tell me what you think of this idea!

And (I'm just going to put this on every chapter now), please mail a letter to Cartoon Network! Season Six can still be saved!

Cartoon Network  
1050 Techwood Drive  
Atlanta, GA 30318

Naturally, that's the address... REMEMBER, EVERY LETTER COUNTS! (sappy, eh?)

TOOOOOOOOOOOODAAALOOOOOOOO!

Over and out,

StarryTian


	2. The Loophole

Title: Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder

Authoress: StarryTian

Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin. . .

Discalimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I don't really want to. Whoever owns them right now is doing a FATASTIC and INCREDIBLE job at it! _(-applauds-)_

**Dedication: xox.Annie Potter.xox and BeastBoyandKingdomHeartsLover!**

* * *

Kori woke up to the sweet scent of hospital sheets, feeling better already. She stared up at the white ceiling, mulling the previous events over in her head. Everything seemed so… surreal. Like none of it was real. She smiled slightly at the thought of Robin and inhaled the clean scent of the sheets again. Giggling a bit, she chided herself for being so childish and turned over, staring at the sunlight streaming though the window. If she didn't know better, Kori would've thought she was in a hotel instead.

She decided to just relax, given it was a Saturday anyway. Later that day, her parents picked her up and dropped her home, saying something about a conference and left her to deal with her rambunctious little brother. The minute she walked through the door, she was bombarded with a yell.

"KORI!" Ryan Anders squealed. "You're BACK!"

Kori knelt down and scooped her younger brother in her arms. "Yes, I am!"

Giggling like mad, Ryan tried to push her away, for he didn't like being held. He looked at her with wide eyes.

"D-Did you _reawly _go to a host-pital?" he asked shyly.

She nodded and decided to put on a show. "MMhmm!"

"Whooooaaaa…."

Kori chuckled and marveled at how easily children could be amazed. "It was rather scary!" she added.

"O-Oh no…" Ryan whimpered. "Mommy says I have to go soon! Will I be hurt?"

She laughed again. "Nono, Ryan! For a brave little boy like you, it would not be scary at all. Now, run along and do your homework!"

Ryan stood at his tiptoes and beamed at being called 'brave'. Then, he chanted, "Yes sir!" and tottered off towards the living room.

Kori smiled for a second, watching her brother bounce happily away. When he was out of sight, Kori sighed and brushed her long crimson hair out of her eyes and walked to her room, slinging her backpack over her shoulder.

She walked up the stairs with a slight bounce in her step and dropped her backpack on the floor when she entered her room. Subconsciously, she flipped on the light and stared at her room. Strange. Something didn't seem right. Narrowing her eyes, Kori cautiously stepped out of her room and ran down the stairs, jumping the last four steps.

"_AAAAAHHHH_---…!" the scream ended abruptly.

Kori's heart beat increased ten fold. "Ryan?" she called frantically. "Where are you?"

She darted to the living room and didn't see anyone there. Breathing heavily, Kori whimpered a bit and yelled, "Ryan! _Ryan!_ Where are you?"

The sunlight outside seemed to mock her current situation. It only added to her fear. Kori squeezed her eyes shut and her heart sped up rapidly. She opened them again and shouted, "_RYAN!"_

No response.

She whimpered again and willed herself to calm down. She walked cautiously to the middle of the living room, and seeing the unfinished homework only unnerved her even more. Kori clutched her hands to her chest and looked down at the ground. Something was not right. Her eyes darted around her, half expecting some murderer to come out and assassinate her. Her whole body tensed up.

"Ryan?"

It was more of a whisper now. Wait. What was that? Kori turned around and screamed.

"K-Kori?" Ryan peered at her uncertainly, holding a glass of soda.

Relief swept over her as she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Ryan! You are undamaged?" Kori knelt down and shakily hugged her small brother.

"Uhh… yeah, I'm fine!"

Weird. Ryan wasn't trying to push away from her. All the same, Kori confirmed, "You are _sure_ you are okay?"

Ryan nodded and grinned. "Yeah! Kori look! I gots you a glass of s-soda!" He held it out proudly.

Uncertainly, Kori took it and flashed him a half-smile. "Thank you." Then, something struck her. "Wait, how did you get this? The soda is on the top most drawer!"

"That's what I was screaming about. The cup almost slipped from my hand," Ryan answered immediately. Kori could've sworn that she saw something glint in his eyes, but dismissed the thought quickly.

A bit taken aback at his perfect grammar, Kori held Ryan closer and carried him to the living room again. She set him down on the chair and looked at him directly in the eyes.

"Now, you stay here and do your homework, do you understand?" she stated firmly.

Ryan nodded and said happily, "Yes sir!"

Kori grinned at her brother's antics and watched him carefully trace the letter 'm' on his worksheet. Then, she walked up to her room again, trying to forget about the ordeal she had just experience. Kori plopped down on her bed, still trying to shake off the feeling that something wasn't right. She lay there for a couple of minutes before deciding to start on her summer homework.

* * *

"Richard!" Bruce's voice yelled over the intercom, jerking him out of his peaceful dream.

Richard groaned and dug his head deeper in the covers, vainly hoping to return to his dream…one where he was mercilessly beating up Robin, while Kori was cheering '_Go Richard! Go Richard! Go…'_

"RICHARD!"

Irritably, Richard yanked the covers off him and trudged over to the box. Pressing the button, he croaked, "What?"

"Come to my office immediately. I would like a word with you." And the intercom clicked shut.

Groaning again, Richard flopped down on his bed, cursing at a certain man with a bat on his uniform. A few minutes later, he rubbed his eyes wearily and slipped into some jeans and a white shirt, while opening his door. You would've thought that being a half-time teen super hero would've helped his sleep schedule. Apparently not.

His feet dragged him to his adopted father's office and rang the doorbell.

"Come in," was the reply.

Richard yawned and pushed the cedar door open.

"What?" he asked groggily. "It's Saturday morning!"

"Sit," came a voice behind a chair that was facing away from the desk.

Richard sat grudgingly and asked again, "What?"

"Richard," Bruce said curtly, while swiveling around in his black leather chair, slamming the newspaper down on the desk and facing him.

Rolling his eyes at Bruce's dramatic entrance, Richard said, "Yeah, yeah, that's my name. What do you want?"

"Read it." Bruce was a man of few words, but he could always get his point across.

Rolling his eyes again, Richard quickly skimmed the article.

"_Boy Wonder saves Kori Anders…. dramatic rescue…forbidden love…Jump City wants to know whether they've had a secret affair?"_ he read aloud, suddenly wide awake. "What the heck? What's going on here?"

Bruce raised an eyebrow at him. "That's exactly what I wanted to know. It seems that, a lot of people out there think you and young Kori Anders are an item."

"That's stupid."

"Don't use that tone with me, young man." Bruce scolded, ignoring another set of eye rolls that he received. "Now, listen to me."

He stood up and placed his hands on either side of the article, looking down at Richard; it was rather intimidating. "I know for a fact that you like her_—_no, listen." Bruce held up a finger as he saw Richard trying to object. When he saw Richard calm down, he continued calmly, "Try to stay away from her. I know this sounds strange, but you need to separate yourself from her. Now that these rumors are spreading like wildfire around the city, villains will take this advantage and use her against you. Do you understand?"

Richard stared at him. "No way! She's my best friend!"

Bruce raised an eyebrow. "So she is. All the same, this makes it even more _important—" _he stressed on the word, "_—_that you need to break up with her."

"So, you're saying I can't see her because some bad guy will kidnap her, trying to get me?" he stated bluntly.

Bruce nodded. "Glad you realize it."

Richard glared at him. "I can't do that! She's my best friend!"

"We've established that. Please leave and do…" Bruce waved his hand in the air. "…whatever it is you teens do on weekends."

The teen glowered at him and stomped out of the room, muttering something about 'stupid hero rules'.

'_Who does he think he is, ordering me around!'_ he thought furiously. Richard flung open the door and collapsed on his bed. He shook his head in denial. It wouldn't work. He can't just _stay away _from Kori for the whole summer! It was impossible! Sometimes, he wished he could just… be normal.

Richard glanced outside and listened to the sound of cars rushing by, staring at the bright July sun. Suddenly, a thought floated into his mind. He jumped out of bed thinking, '_Bruce said that RICHARD couldn't see Kori… he didn't say ROBIN, now did he?'_

Grabbing his uniform, boots, belt, and mask out of his backpack, Richard smirked at this loophole. He glanced at the clock and waited until the second hand passed the twelve. He then darted into action. He nimbly slipped off his jeans, replacing them with his green tights, while slipping off his shirt. After putting on the top half of his uniform, he clipped on his yellow belt and slipped into his heavy metal boots. His hand reached a mini-hair gel bottle in his utility belt and slathered some on his hands, expertly spiking his hair. Finally, he grabbed his mask and applied it carefully to face, obscuring his brilliant blue eyes from view.

He glanced at the clock again. The second hand had just reached the 'ten'. '_Yes! Fifty seconds! A personal best…'_

Admiring his reflection, Robin sat down on his bed again and wondered when he could meet Kori. He closed his masked eyes and remembered Bruce saying something along the lines of going to Canada around 7PM. Robin peered at the clock and groaned when he saw it was only 9AM. It was going to be a very looong day…

* * *

A/N: Viola! Heh, excuse me for the boring chapter. The next one will be more interesting: Robin meets Kori.

Again, SAVE SEASON SIX! Oh, cool- SSS: SAVE SEASON SIX! Or better yet, SOS: SAVE OUR SHOW!

The address is as shown below:

Cartoon Network  
1050 Techwood Drive  
Atlanta, GA 30318

(_-waits for you to get a paper and pencil-) (-hands you a virtual stamp-) _

(-gives_ a holiday cookie to whoever already sent a letter-)_

HAPPY ALMOST HOLIDAYS!

Over and out,

StarryTian


	3. The Meeting

Title: Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder

Authoress: StarryTian

Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin. . .

Discalimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I don't really want to. Whoever owns them right now is doing a FATASTIC and INCREDIBLE job at it! _(-applauds-)_

**Dedication: Purple Wolf Girl! **

* * *

_6:43 PM…._

Robin laid eagle spread on his bed, head hanging over the edge and constantly peeking at his clock.

_6:43 PM…._

He groaned and banged his head repeatedly on his bed, trying to ignore the bounciness of the rhythm. Robin lifted his head again, hoping that the time had changed.

_6:43 PM…._

'_NNNNNNRRRRUUUUCHHHHH!'_ he cursed at the time. Having lay in bed all day waiting for 7PM to arrive is no easy feat, and having all the energy bottled up inside you wasn't helping either. After a particularly hard bounce, his head automatically bounded upwards, giving him a clear view of the clock for the millionth time.

_6:43 PM…._

'_Need…to…do…something….'_ Lying in bed all day was NOT Robin's definition of fun. But yet, he couldn't summon the drive to train the gym, or even log onto his AIM account. The first couple of hours, at least until noon-ish, were pretty enjoyable. During that time, he had carefully conducted a plan of how to get to Kori's house without being spotted (which really wasn't that hard, given that he'd already done that many, many times), and the hour after that, fantasizing images of him and Kori filled his mind, enough to meet any teenager's satisfaction. He lifted his head again.

_6:44 PM…._

"Alright!" Robin whispered, grinning. It was strange, seeing a famous teenage superhero become so happy just because a minute passed. Just then, the intercom crackled and clicked. His head shot up immediately, and he scrambled to the box, trying to maintain some composure.

"Richard, I'm leaving," Bruce's voice came from the box. "Please meet down here in 2 minutes."

Robin responded instantly and pressed the button. "Sure. Be there in a sec!"

_-CLICK-_

Reflexively, Robin grabbed the nearest bathrobe and slipped it on, tying the sash around him. He then rushed to the bathroom, finally happy that he had something to do, and doused his gelled hair in the sink once again. Shaking the excess water from his hair, he hurriedly dried it and took his mask off along with his boots.

Richard looked at his reflection for a second time that day and gave a sort of half sigh. Sure, it was tiring of having to constantly change identities all the time, but it was small price to pay. Opening the door, he instinctively walked over to the entrance, ignoring the reproachful looks of the maids and butlers passing by. Richard caught the eye of his adopted father and stopped at his feet.

"As you know, I'll be leaving for Canada for a week," he started without further ado.

Richard nodded. '_Hurry up….!'_

"While I'm gone, I'll expect the most out of you, understand?"

He nodded again. '_Yeah, yeah, this means taking care of villains when I'm gone….'_

"This means taking care of villains while I'm gone, not sneaking out at night, doing your summer homework…"

Richard listened listlessly, for every single time Bruce went on a business trip, he would repeat the same lecture over and over again. After a while, he had just learned to nod and pretend to listen.

"…not bothering Alfred and the other maids and butlers, and _staying away from Kori._ Got that?"

'_Huh, that's new…'_

"Yeah, have fun on your trip," Richard said tonelessly, shaking his wet bangs from his face.

Giving Richard a grim smile, Bruce walked through the open door to his limousine and called over his shoulders, "Take care."

Richard gave him a nod and said goodbye. When the limo sped out of sight, he immediately rushed to his room and changed into Robin. Then, he slid his window open, jumped over the gate to where his R-Cycle was, and sped towards Kori's house.

* * *

Flipping the last page of her book, Kori quickly finished the page, and then slowly closed her book and eyes. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, a small smile gracing her lips. Tilting her head up a bit, Kori scrunched up her shoulders and got rid of any kinks she might've have gotten while reading _The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. _Eyes still closed, she wondered if she could ever be so brave… brave enough to have saved an entire kingdom. So magical.

It was pretty quiet now that Ryan had gone to bed. Nothing could disturb the silence now—

_-Tap tap tap-_

Startled, Kori whipped around in her spinning chair, causing the abandoned homework to flutter towards the ground, and the book to drop from her hands.

_-Tap tap tap-_

Kori cautiously peered around the room, that feeling of dread flooding back to her again. Wait… what was that?

"_Kori!… Kori!"_ A muffled voice sounded from outside her window. More surprised than scared now, she nervously stepped over to her window and cocked her head to the side, trying to make out the blurred shadow against the setting July sun.

"_Kori! Open the window!"_

Immediately, Kori obeyed the command and hastily clicked the lock open, shoving the windowpane upwards with almost alien strength and removing the net-like screen. Staring back at her was Robin, elbows on either side of the windowsill and head resting on his hands, while the rest of his body was hanging down.

"Uh…. Hi?" he squeaked meekly, trying to maintain his position.

Kori stared. '_This is… awkward….'_

"Um… hello… to you too…" she scrunched up her nose in confusion. '_Why is he here?'_

Robin grinned stupidly at her. "Can…can I come in?" he said as if hanging from a window was a daily event for him.

"O-Oh, yes…of course," Kori stuttered, moving out of the way. She watched as Robin swung gracefully out of sight onto her rooftop, and then stylishly land feet first onto her carpet. Straightening himself up, Robin grinned again and plopped down on Kori's bed.

"…"

"…"

'_What are you supposed to say when a warm teenage superhero barges into your room?'_

'_What're you supposed to do when you barge into your best friend's room in disguise?'_

Kori looked nervously at him, then blushed. She suddenly became aware of everything… the situation they were in. It was strange. Very…very strange. Twirling her long ruby locks around her finger, she managed a half smile and shuffled her feet a bit. Never before had she been so self-conscious… except sometimes when she was around Richard, of course.

"Umm… can… I… help you?" Kori tried timidly.

Robin inwardly slapped himself for being so blunt and forward, and instead replaced his stupid grin with something more serious. "Well… I…uhh…"

He stopped abruptly and momentarily blanked out. What happened to all those conversation starters he spent an hour on this morning?

"UHHH….I-I… just thought that—y-you would like to see me again, WAIT NO, I-I mean, that I would like to see you again—wait, that's not it either… I just…"

Robin took a deep breath before continuing.

"I just wanted to see you again."

Although a bit taken aback at this, Kori couldn't help but be flattered. "O-Oh… thank you," she mumbled.

"S-So…" his masked eyes searched Kori's implicitly neat room. Upon seeing the book on the floor, his face lit up. "So," he repeated, trying to start a conversation. "You've read _The Chronicles of Narnia?"_

Finally catching onto the concept that Robin just wanted to talk, Kori pulled up her spinning chair and plopped down on the cushion and spun around to face him.

"Yes… and…" she groped for words. "It was… incredibly… good."

Robin nodded and sat up straighter. "Seen the movie? It was made, what, some 100 years ago?"

Leaning towards him a little, Kori murmured, "Mmmhmm…. The graphics were glorious… that is, for that time period…" She quickly covered up her 'mistake', hoping that Robin wouldn't judge her for thinking that old films were good.

"It… was good…yeah, it was good…" Robin couldn't understand it. Why was he so nervous?

Kori gave a nervous sorta giggle and reached for the soda Ryan gave her and took a sip. Putting it down, she started, "I especially enjoyed the portion where Peter—"

-_Beep Beep…. Beep Beep-_

Kori flushed for a fraction of a second and said, "Please hold on. Let me take this."

She hurriedly picked up her phone and pressed the 'talk' button. "Hello?…Mhmmm…yes….You are?….why?….oh, I see….okay…yes…have fun!…. goodbye, I love you!" –_click-_

"_Who was that_!" Robin demanded the second after she had hung up, insanely jealous of whoever had earned Kori's love. Not even _he_ had done that!….yet.

Shocked, Kori answered, "My mother. She informed me that she and my father would not be home for a week. They will be in Ontario."

'That's weird… same with Bruce…' 

"Oh…hehe, sorry about that…" he flashed her an apologetic look.

It was as if that little incident cut the awkward tensions between them and suddenly, everything was much for…free. An hour later, they were chatting animatedly as though they had known each other for a long time.

"And then?" Kori's wide jade eyes were focused only on Robin.

"And then…" Robin decided to milk it for all it's worth, for he absolutely _loved_ all the attention he was getting from Kori. Guess being a famous superhero does pay off. "And then I used a basic karate kick in mid air—with this sorta twist in the middle, and BAM!" He clapped his hands together for full effect. "The thug never thought twice about robbing _that_ bank again!"

"Wow… truly amazing…." Her emerald orbs sparkled in astonishment as Robin went on, her hands cupping her chin for support

"But of course, that's nothing compared to Slade…" he murmured hatefully, his masked eyes narrowed at his name.

Kori quirked a unique eyebrow. "Slade? Who … is he?"

Robin's mask widened a bit. "Oh… did I say that out loud? Sorry, you're not supposed to know…"

'_Augh, Bruce's gonna kill me!'_

Kori's lower lip quivered a bit. "B-But… _Robin…_"

"Ehheh… yes?"

'_Don't fall for it. Whatever you do, don't fall for it…'_

"_Robin…_" she repeated softly. "Please? I wish to know who the Slade is…" She pouted and tried to look downcast, head tilted towards the ground.

'_Damn it… don't look, don't look—oh crap, I looked…nonono, can't tell her…_' 

"I'm s-sorry Kori," he struggled. Which side to pick? Rules, Kori, rules, Kori—he glanced at her again and seeing her sea green eyes shine with innocence nearly did him in. "I-I'm sorry…." Robin repeated.

Kori pouted again. As strange as it seemed, Kori wanted to know who Slade was, and plus, it was _fun_ seeing Robin so uncomfortable.

'_Don't give in, don't give in…don't look, don't look, ah crap, I looked again…'_

Robin fidgeted nervously on her bed, unsure of which side to pick. Kori scooted her chair closer to him, and whispered, "_Robin, please_ tell me… I will not tell anyone, I promise!"

He gulped and looked for a way to escape but there seemed like none. Breathing heavily, Robin swallowed again and tried to convince himself that he wasn't doing anything wrong…which he wasn't. Plus, she _said_ that she wouldn't tell right?

"A-Alright…" he shakily said, trying to ignore everything Bruce had ever taught him. "Well, Slade's this…bad guy…"

Kori nodded and decided to abandon the chair altogether, plopping down beside Robin, making the bed bounce a little.

"And…well…he's bad… that's it…"

Kori frowned a little. "I see…"

"He's always in Gotham City, hanging around the warehouses and what not… but anyways," Robin recovered and faced her completely. "It's getting dark. I should go now…"

Smiling, Kori gave him a hug and said, "I enjoyed our time together…" She then realized what she was doing and let go quickly, not noticing the disappointment painted across Robin's face when she let go.

"Yeah… same…" he grinned and climbed out the window again. "See ya!"

She nodded and kept staring at Robin until his R-Cycle sped out of view, sighing with content. Then, she picked up the phone and called Richard.

* * *

A/N: DID YOU SEE "GO!"? IT WAS SO GOOD! Robin…STARFIRE… KISS! THEY KISSED! I still can't get over that fact…. (_-sighs-)_….soo…good….

And also, remember to send a letter to Cartoon Network! Not going to say anything more, 'cuase I'm as tired you are of hearing it, I'm just as tired of repeating it. BUT IT'S IMPORTANT!

Cartoon Network  
1050 Techwood Drive  
Atlanta, GA 30318

And you know what ELSE is important? THEY KISSED! ROBIN AND STARFIRE KISSED! Well, technically, she only kissed him because that's how Tamaranians learn new languages, but STILL! THEY DID! CAN'T BELIEVE IT….

Hope you have a great Winter Break, and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Over and out,

StarryTian


	4. The Cold

Title: Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder

Authoress: StarryTian

Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin. . .

Discalimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I don't really want to. Whoever owns them right now is doing a FATASTIC and INCREDIBLE job at it!

_(-applauds-)_

**Dedication: strodgfrgf! (Hehe, nice penname! I like it!)**

* * *

Kori waited for the phone to pick up, idly twirling a strand of hair as she stared out the window. Robin… just came… for _her._ That's saying something, considering that he was probably always busy with all the superhero responsibilities and other stuff.

"_Hi, this is Richard Grayson's cell phone. I'm not here right now, so please leave a message and I'll call you back as soon as—AHHH! KORI! WHAT'RE YOU—"_

Still holding the phone to her ear, Kori laughed out loud as a memory arose, but then quickly 'eeped' when she remembered that Ryan was sleeping. The memory featured Kori sneaking up behind Richard, who was so conveniently recording his message, and pouncing on him. After laughing their heads off, they listened to the tape; but when she tried to delete it, Richard merely shook his head and insisted that he liked it better that way.

"_To page this person, press five. Please leave a message after the—"_

Kori hung up and tried again, bouncing on her bed and then laid down on it. After listening to the same message again, worry slowly crept into her. Where was he? She frowned and stared at the phone, as if it had somehow to do with the disappearance of Richard. Usually, he would've already picked up the phone by now, and they would be happily chatting away. What had happened to him?

* * *

Reminiscing about him and Kori's conversation, Robin smiled though his helmet and sped up a bit more to accent on his happy mood. He hazardously turned a corner and was just straightening up when he heard his cell phone ring. Funny people, teenagers. You yell at them to clean their room, but they don't hear, you give them a death glare, but they don't see, but they can _still _hear their cell phone ringing over the loud hum of a motorcycle.

Robin reached into his utility belt, keeping the other hand steady on the handle of the motorcycle, and lit up as he saw the caller was Kori. He was just about to pick up when he realized that he wasn't even allowed to bring his cell phone when he was Robin. Ugh. Looking anywhere but his cell phone, Robin was thoroughly trying to ignore the ring tone, and decided to keep his eyes on the street. He was almost at the Wayne Mansion anyway, so why pick up?

This proved hard to do, given that Kori called a second time. He debated quietly among his conscience (Robin) and the part that wanted to talk to Kori (Richard). In the end, Robin won, saying that he had already broken the rule of talking about villains to strangers.

'_But Kori's not a stranger,'_ Richard argued.

'_So?'_ Robin retorted, reaching for his cell phone when Kori called for the third time.

But Richard wouldn't give up that easily. '_You know it's wrong to break rules!'_

'_Yeah, but---hey, whose side are you on?'_

'_Mine.'_

It was losing battle, and no matter how much Robin looked at it, he couldn't bring himself to ignore Kori, given that both Robin and Richard were on his side now…wait, what? Robin shrugged and flipped his phone open.

"Hey, Kor!" he greeted over the rushing wind.

"Hello Richard! You will never guess what happened! Robin just came to visit me!" she gushed at once.

"Uh, that's great!"

"What? I cannot hear you! Speak up!"

"I SAID THAT'S GREAT!"

"Please repeat your words! Where are you? It is so noisy!"

"Oh, I'M…UH…BLOWDRYING MY HAIR!"

"Mmhmm! Does not matter! Robin just came! And he and I bonded!"

"WHAT? YOU BONDED?"

"SPEAK UP, RICHARD! I CANNOT HEAR YOU!"

"YOU. BONDED?"

"Yes! It was so romantic!… oh—in a friendly way, of course!"

Robin seethed. How can you _bond in a romantic-friendly way?_ His hands gripped the handles so hard he thought he heard them snap underneath his green gloves.

'_I swear, I'm gonna kill him! As soon as I get home, I'm going to HUNT HIM DOWN, find out where he lives, then tear him from limb to limb until there's nothing left and then—'_

He stopped short when his mind produced an image of himself tearing…well, himself into pieces. Robin winced. Not good.

* * *

Kori gasped as she thought of what she said, and instantly regretted it. Romantic? Oh no… Richard was going to get the wrong idea.

"I'M GLAD YOU GUYS… BONDED!" she heard him shout over the phone, although the last word sounded a bit high-pitched.

"Oh no—it was not that!" she hastily amended. "It was merely friendship, do not worry!"

"Oh. That's good news!" Kori thought she heard an audible sigh from the other side, although that was the _only _thing she heard.

"What?"

"NEVERMIND, I'LL MEET YOU AT SCHOOL TOMARROW!"

"Okay! Goodnight, Richard!"

"GOODNIGHT, KORI!"

Kori hung up, happy to hear the Richard was still okay; but she couldn't help but think that Richard could have picked a better time to dry his hair.

* * *

The last week of school was pretty uneventful for everybody else, but for Kori, it was a living nightmare. All the girls were constantly bombarding her with questions about Robin, and Kori had half a mind to tell them to leave her alone, although it was against her naturally sweet nature. Even Kitten and Terra had asked her a couple of questions.

What's worse, it seemed to be that Kori was getting sick. Her eyes couldn't focus well, her throat was aching and she was constantly sneezing all the time. Raven assured her it was no big deal and told her it was just a common cold; but, Kori thought, if that was the case, then she felt like she had the _worst_ cold in the history of colds.

"No way! You like, met Robin?" Kitten gushed one afternoon at lunch. It was the last day of school (a Friday, to be exact) and she believed that a little talk with the lower class people couldn't hurt her 'high social status'. As usual, Terra and the other Kitten-wannabes flocked around her.

Kori groaned, having heard this questions too many times that she lost count. The first couple of days were great, and Kori admitted that she enjoyed the attention, but it was getting a little old now.

"Um… yes."

Kitten looked around at her group and smirked. "Soo…" she said slyly, pushing a piece of paper and a pencil towards her. "Can you get his number?"

"My apologies, I do not have his phone number," Kori said blandly, ending her comment with a sneeze.

"C'mon!" Kitten urged, trying not to look disgusted. "You've seen him, right?"

Kori nodded and took a bite of her macaroni and cheese, resisting the urge to sneeze again.

"So… how could you NOT get his number?"

"Is it necessary to ask a male for his phone number once you meet him?" Kori asked, rubbing her eyes.

Kitten stared at her, and then gestured to the group behind her.

"DUUU-UHH!" they chorused, completing their remark with a set of eye rolls.

"I am sorry, I did not get his phone number," Kori repeated.

"You guys, leave her alone," Richard finally said, having to have endured just as much as Kori did.

Kitten looked at him and scoffed. "Whatever, loser." She turned her attention on Kori again. "So… was he hot?"

At this, Richard perked up and paid extra attention to Kori's reaction.

"Umm…" she giggled. "I suppose so."

"Suppose so?" Kitten looked skeptical.

"Okay, very well, he was scorching," Kori admitted with a blush.

All the girls around her, save Raven, who resisted the urge not to gag, said in unison, "OOOOOOOO…"

Richard put down his fork and felt an immense balloon filled with pride swell inside him, no matter how cliché that sounded. Hah, Kori thought he was hot! Well… she thought _Robin _was, but same difference.

"Mmhmm!" Kitten looked pleased with herself. "That's what I thought. Now…" She pushed Raven roughly aside and knelt down next to Kori as if she was her best friend. "Are you _sure_ you didn't get his number? 'Cause like, I can totally understand if you don't want to give it to me, but like, are you _sure_?"

"Excuse me, you're in my space," Raven said dully, trying not to smash her lunch tray over Kitten's head.

Kitten ignored her and went on in a sickly sweet voice, "Kori, honey, are you _sure_ you don't have his number?"

Kori blinked. "Um, yes, I have already established that."

Next to her, Garfield winked at Kitten and said flirtatiously, "You can have _my_ number if you want, baby!"

"Ewwww! Gross! This loser is like, hitting on me! C'mon girls, we're getting outta here!" And with that, Kitten and the rest of them marched out of the cafeteria.

Then, Garfield and Victor burst into peals of laughter, slapping their hands and banging their heads against the table.

Raven was about to sit down when Richard took her spot, handing Kori a tissue to sneeze in. She resigned for a moment, and turned her attention to Garfield and Victor, still holding her tray steady.

"She…f-fell for that!" Victore gasped between guffaws. "Man, that was rich!"

Garfield smirked and held out a hand. "Dude, looks like you owe me some mooooo-lah!"

"Moo-lah?" Victor repeated, wrinkling his nose. "No offense but, you need to work on your slang."

"What?" he countered, pulling out a book. "I get all my slang here!"

Richard leaned across the table and read aloud, "_The Complete English Language of Slang. Updated!"_

"Gimme that!" Victor snatched the book away from his hands and flipped through it, stopping at a random page. "Spankin' new! What the hell is that supposed to mean?

Richard, who was still in Raven's seat, grabbed the book away from him and read the definition. "1) Very new 2) Relatively new 3) Super new… um…"

"Richard, you're in my seat," Raven said in monotone.

"HAHAHAHAHA! SPANKIN' NEW! _SPANKIN' NEW!"_ Victor hollered. "Updated, my car!"

Blushing, Garfield took the book back and snarled, "You still owe me some money!"

"H-Here!" Victor wheezed, trying not to burst into laughter again. "I assure you, this money is _SPANKIN' NEW!"_

"Richard, you're in my seat," Raven repeated monotonous.

Garfield decided to take this moment of embarrassment and turn it into something else. "Hey Rae, you can sit in _my_ seat. I've even warmed it up for you_… just_ for you!"

Bad idea. Mixing a comment like that with an already irritated Raven wasn't a very smart thing to do.

"Richard," she seethed. "You're. In. My. Seat."

He widened his eyes and hastily clambered out of it. "Sorry!"

"Aww, dude!" Garfield looked convincingly crestfallen. "RaeRae, sit here! Whoa, what're you doing with that tray--- OWWWWWWWWWWW!"

* * *

The five best friends gathered around the front of the school and stood in a circle, trying to make the best of their time. It was probably the last time they were going to see each other, at least, for the summer.

"Oww, Rae, that hurt," Garfield whined, rubbing his head.

Raven glared at him. "Don't call me 'Rae'."

"You guys all packed for your camps?" Richard said, handing Kori another tissue.

Raven, Garfield and Victor all nodded.

"I'm sure that bump on his head is SPANKIN' NEW!" Victor added. "All the people at the Wilderness Camp will…" he broke off, laughing again.

"Hey! At least I'm not going to _football camp!"_ Garfield defended himself, ignoring Kori's sneezes.

"Nope! Not football camp, Mechanics Camp!"

"No way! You're dad let you?"

Victor nodded. "Oh yeah. Me and pops had a discussion and…"

Richard tuned the rest of it out and turned to Raven, patting Kori on the back. "Where'r you going?"

"Meditation Camp."

Garfield stopped and looked at her, eyes wide. "NO REALLY?"

"So?"

"Well, I just didn't think—Oh, Vic, you're dad's here. See ya!"

"Bye Victor! Have a great summer!"

It was tradition; once one person left, the rest dissipated and went their ways too. A lot of 'goodbyes' and 'see ya's' were heard over Kori's sneezes. Finally, Richard and Kori were the only ones left; the only ones not going to camp.

"AHH..AH… CHOOO!" Kori sniffled pitifully and thanked Richard as he handed her another tissue.

"No problem…"

They barely had any time to talk, alone that is, since the rest of their group was always with them. He decided to bring up the topic of Robin again, hoping that Kori would compliment him even more. Inwardly grinning, Richard patted Kori on the back again and said cautiously, "So… this Robin guy…"

Kori visibly brightened. "He is wonderful! Not as wonderful as_ you _of course, but so glorious…"

Richard groaned and cursed himself for bringing up this topic and thought that if he wasn't going to make his move soon, then Kori would be taken already… taken by Robin. He widened his eyes, completely unaware for the umpteenth time that he _was_ Robin, and patted Kori on the back again.

"Yeah…" Oh no, he was going to do it. Richard couldn't belive that was was so … _dumb_ as to not have seen it earlier. Come on, Kori was a young girl, a very _pretty _young girl at that, and if he wasn't going to make his move soon… she would be taken by Robin. He narrowed his eyes. No, not Robin. By Richard.

He looked around the campus and when he confirmed that Robin wasn't there, he decided it was the perfect time to tell her…so why not? Yes, now was the right time.

"Umm… Kori?" he said tentatively.

She sneezed and looked at him, "Yes?"

"UH, I know this is really last minute and all but…" Richard gulped and momentarily regretted his surge of boldness. "Um.. Do you want to, I dunno, go to the park with me?"

Kori rubbed her eyes and blinked. "But we do that all the time, yes?"

Richard groaned. "Ermm… no, not like that. Like a ….— ape. "

"…"

"OH WAIT, I meant date! Not ape… hehe."

"…"

"Kori?"

"…"

Suddenly, there was a squeal of pure happiness and Richard found himself on the ground, with his best friend practically sitting on top of him.

He took this as a yes.

* * *

A/N: Whoa HO HO HO! (Mhmm, Santa would be so proud of me! ) Wow, thank you guys for the reviews! I appreciate them so much! It's like the best present ever!

Thank you, thank you, and thank you!

Remember….send… letter… Cartoon… Network… (_snores_)….

Cartoon Network  
1050 Techwood Drive  
Atlanta, GA 30318

Address… _(points above_)….

Review please! … Euch, I'm never saying that again. Makes me sound too selfish. Forget I said that!

About that _The Complete English Language of Slang, _it's true. My friends and I actually found book like that with things like, "spankin' new" and "jump the horse". Weird, but funny!

OH, and one more thing: YESSSS! ROBIN AND STARFIRE KISSED! I HAVE IT ON MY WALLPAPER! SOO CUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEK!

Sorry, you'll just have to deal with that fact again! I just CAN'T believe it….

**One more thing: Do you have any good songs that remind you of any pairing in Teen Titans?** Preferably RobinxStarfire and BbxRae.

Thanks!

Over and out,

StarryTian


	5. The Date

Title: Richard Grayson, the Boy Wonder

Authoress: StarryTian

Summary: Robin saved Kori Anders. But when she has to choose between her best friend, Richard Grayson and the Boy Wonder, who will she pick? And little does she know that Richard IS Robin. . .

Discalimer: I do not own the Teen Titans and I don't really want to. Whoever owns them right now is doing a FATASTIC and INCREDIBLE job at it!

_(-applauds-)_

**Dedication: -EHWIES, Ultimate Angel of Good and Evil, and Terra Rock! (**They're awesome, seriously, give them a round of applause!)

* * *

Richard tapped his foot impatiently outside Kori's door and knocked on it again. 

"Kori?" he called. "Are you done yet?"

"No, not yet!" was the reply. "Please wait for another…" There was a pause. "Five minutes!"

He groaned, but then again, it was human nature to dislike waiting and he was no exception. Even if the person he was waiting for was his… girlfriend. He beamed and soaked the word in. Girl. Friend. Girlfriend. Chuckling, he remembered when Victor 'accused' Kori of being his girlfriend, and _boy_ did things turned out ugly. Especially when they were 'stranded' on that island next to the park. Even _he_ admitted that he needed to work on his pick up lines. Complimenting someone on the way they _write_ is NOT the best way to get a girl.

"Excuse me, mister," Ryan tugged on Richard's pant leg. "Where're you taking my sister?"

Richard knelt down and patted him on the head. "Just to the park. That's it."

"But, Kori was talkn' about it alllllll days!" Ryan bubbled, bouncing up and down on the soles of his feet. "I'll tells you what she said. Although I'm not really sure what it means, but I'll tell you anyways."

"Sure!"

Eyes shining with mischief, Ryan whispered excitedly, "She told me not to say this, but I'll tell you anyway! So she said…" He leant towards the door a bit, as though making sure Kori wasn't listening. "Well… she actually sorta _sang_ it, but it's okay! Here, she said, 'RICHARDS ASKED ME OUT! I CANNOT BELIVE IT! HE'S SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SEX---"

"RYAN, SHUT YOU MOUTH!" Kori yelled from inside the door. "YOU SAY ONE MORE WORD, AND I'LL…. I'LL…"

Richard laughed loudly and gave Ryan a hug, which he just wiggled out of. Ryan grinned and went on, "But that's nothing to what Mandy said! Over de phone, of course!"

Biting back another laugh, Richard nodded and remembered Amanda, Kori's older sister. Ugh. He shuddered. Thank Batman that Kori was _nothing _liker her sister, and that she was _far, far away…_ in college.

* * *

Kori blushed furiously and cursed profusely in her native language. Oh, _this _was going to take some explaining to do. She scanned her nearly empty closet and the wrinkled clothes strewn across her usually neat room and wondered why she hadn't picked out her outfit earlier. Groaning, she plopped down on her bed, her blush still not completely gone from her cheeks. 

"Kori, are you done _yet?"_ Richard's slightly impatient voice floated through her door.

She sighed and randomly plucked a tank top. "No, give me... ten more minutes please!"

"WHAT? Come on, you said _five _minutes last time!" he whined.

"I am sorry, ten minutes!" Kori replied, standing up again and picking up some jeans; then she threw them down in disgust. She then plopped down on her bed again, leaning against the bedpost and surveying her messy room once more.

"Kori, I swear, I'm going to come through the do-or!" he called playfully, knocking on the door again for emphasis.

She gasped in horror and looked down at her body. But, she was only dressed in her _underwear!_

"NO, do NOT come in!" she said hastily, eyeing the door in terror as she gripped the bedpost a little harder.

"I wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllll!" Richard teased, turning the knob.

"NONONONONO, RICHARD, DON'T!"

She quickly scanned her room, hoping to find someplace to hide, but her body was frozen with irrational fright.

"Dun dun… dun dun…."

"RICHARD---"

"Dun dun… dun DUN… DUN DUN, DUN DUN…"

"RICHARD GRAYSON, DO NOT OPEN THE—"

"DUN DUN, DUN DUN, DUN DUN, _DUN DUN **DUN DUN**_**!"**

At last, he flung open the door and grinned expectantly around the room. Then, he froze right on the spot when he saw Kori only in her… underwear. They both stood like statues, eyes locked. Kori's jade eyes contrasted greatly with the dark red blush staining her cheeks, and were wide with imprudent fear and while Richard's were struggling not to look… downwards.

Suddenly---

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAA—!"

Ryan's laugh jerked them out of their 'phase' and Kori tried to avoid eye contact.

Richard coughed and nervously scratched the back of his neck, a habit he had picked up from Batman. "S-So…"

"AAAHAHHAHAHAHHAHHAA—"

"D-do you maybe want…" He tried desperately to keep his eyes on her _face_ (even though she was looking anywhere _but_ him), and not anywhere _else._ But hey, superhero or not, he was still a teenage boy and it was against his natural instinct to look at a girl's _face _when the rest of her body was right there in front of him, barely covered in anything— he quickly shut off the rest of his perverted thoughts and gulped.

"AAAHHAHAHAHHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA—"

"_Ryan,"_ Kori whispered, mortified. "Get. Out. Of. _My. **Room**."_

He left without a word, but they could still hear him laughing all the way down the hall.

"S-So…" Richard tried again, still standing in the doorway. "Ermm… nice… clothes…"

He gestured vaguely to her room.

"A-And… nice… lingerie…" He coughed again.

At this, Kori whipped her head around and glared at him, startling him.

Whoa, that girl could _glare. _

"I MEAN, it's nice! I like green! " He amended hastily, putting his hands up in surrender. "Green…it matches your red hair! …Yeah, it does! Like Christmas!" he added.

Glare.

"EEEEHEHE… "

Glare.

"So… maybe I should help you pick out your clothes?" he tried again, cautiously sitting down next to her on the bed.

Her glare softened a bit (at which Richard audibly sighed in relief), and said tentatively, "I… guess that will be… okay…" Kori tilted her head a little away from him, her red hair acting like a shield between the two.

"Yeah, I can do that!" At least she wasn't glaring at him anymore. _That_ was a good sign.

Standing up from the bed, Richard hopped around from one foot to another and examined the cluttered clothes scattered around her room. He bent down and picked up a sparkly jean miniskirt and then jumped over a red sweater and selected a plain, light green tank top. He stood there for a second, unaware of Kori gazing at him in amusement, and then visibly brightened up as he chose another jean item, this time a jacket.

Gathering the selected items in his hands, he stepped over the clothes once more and dropped them down on Kori's lap, facing her expectantly. She picked up the miniskirt scrutinized it for a second, and then slipped it on quickly, along with the tank top and jacket.

"I look… okay?" she finally faced him, eyes shining with anticipation and fiddled with the edge of her jacket.

"Of course you do, I picked it out!"

Kori smiled nervously, and then remembered something. "Oh wait! I need to put on my make up!"

"What?" he asked, surprised. "But you never wear make up!"

"Yes, but it is a special occasion, is it not?" She made to leave to the bathroom across the hall, but he stopped her.

"No, don't," he whispered, putting his hands on both of her shoulders and bending down a bit. "You look beautiful."

Kori blushed again.

He smiled and gestured to the messy room and her clothes. "Wow, one heck of way to start a date, huh?"

* * *

"X'hal, it is so beautiful!" she gushed, looking out at the sunset. 

"Like you," Richard added. He finally put the rose in the bottle, and sat back, enjoying the sight of Kori beaming in the setting sun, accenting on her already fiery hair.

'_How could anyone be so beautiful_?' he though, gazing at her as she blushed again and let his thoughts flow. What if Kori wasn't so pretty? What if he wasn't so 'handsome'? Would they still have been together? What if they had never even met each other? What if they went to different schools? What if… ah, there were a lot of 'what if's'. Shrugging it off, he decided to just let it go and soak in that special feeling that was always there when Kori was around. He wouldn't call it 'love'. Not yet.

He grinned at her and looked around at their environment. It was almost perfect. Richard had picked perfect spot on the island (the same one he had complimented her writing on), and the park was just behind them, so people walking by could clearly see the two lovers having a spectacular time on their very first date.

"Here, have a sandwich," he said happily, handing her a BLT sandwich.

She thanked him and leaned back a bit, hands resting on the soft picnic blanket below. Cocking an eyebrow at him, she looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, right, and here's your mustard," he laughed, passing a bottle to her.

She giggled and poured practically the entire bottle on top of the sandwich. "Thank you!"

For the rest of their date, they merely enjoyed each other's presence and laughed their way through the rest of the evening.

"A-And then you know what the shark says?" Richard gasped between laughs. It was completely dark now, and the only light on the island was from the single lamppost above them.

Kori shook her head, trying to stifle her loud giggles but failed miserably. "Wh-what?"

"He says, 'I'M GONNA EAT YOU!'"

They broke out into peals of laughter and held their stomachs in pleasurable pain from laughing so hard. It was one of those crazy times after you laughed so hard that you thought _everything_ was funny.

"Pl-please!" Kori managed out, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Tell another!"

"Okay, okay, here's one! What did the shark say to the mirror?"

She braced herself for the punch line, and shook her head again, her scarlet hair fluttering around her delicately.

"He says, 'LOOKIN' GOOOOOOOOD!'" he completed the line with two 'gun-like' hands pointing toward Kori, as they belted out another set of laughter.

She laughed so hard that her supporting hand slipped from underneath her and her head fell on Richard's lap. They smiled at each other and Kori closed her hands around one of Richard's, snuggling up towards him. She would've _never_ had done this in her right state of mind. Laughter could do wonders.

Just then, an alarm rang from the store across from the park, and red lights flashed around in the dark, causing some frightened pedestrians to yell and flee. Richard froze, and all remains of his laughter and pure bliss slipped quickly from his face, and a look of seriousness replaced it instantly.

Sitting up quickly, Kori grasped his hand tighter and said in what she hoped would sound like a confident voice, "Do not worry. Robin will be here soon. It is his duty!"

Richard grimaced and carefully stood up, helping Kori to her feet. "I…I need to go to the bathroom."

"What?" she asked, squeezing his hand tighter. Truth to be told, she was scared that Richard had become so serious in a matter of seconds, and the iciness of the summer night was finally creeping into her.

"Kori, I need to go to the bathroom," he repeated, picking up the wooden picnic basket, and untying the rope that held the boat.

"M-May I go with you?" Kori hurried up to him, clutching the ends of her jacket closer to her, and almost tripping over the remains of their picnic. "Perhaps you can wait until Robin comes and _then_ go to the bathroom! I would feel much better that way, knowing you are safe."

Cupping her face in her hands, Richard leaned down and whispered gently, "Sorry, Kor, but I _really need to **go**."_

In any other situation, this would've been undoubtedly funny, but this wasn't the case. He leaned down farther and his lips almost touched hers… but changed his mind at the last millisecond and kissed her cold cheek, feeling her shiver from the touch.

"Richard…"

He shook his head and motioned for her to be quiet. "I'll just be gone for a few seconds. You wont' even know I'm gone. Boys go fast remember?" He smiled, attempting to bring back some of the humor that was previously there.

"Please, I wish to go with you! You may be hurt!" She pleaded.

"I'll be fine. I'm just gonna be across the street, that's it. Plus, you'll be safer here. No—" He put up a hand to stop her as she made to say something again. "—Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

Then, Richard climbed into the boat, set the picnic basket down, and started rowing away from the island, leaving Kori alone in the dark, and completely unaware of a set of eyes watching her.

* * *

A/N: Sorry for the slow update. Hehe, I was in Las Vegas! 

Has anybody seen the show Mystere? Wow, it's sooooo good! Really! And I'm thinking of doing a Teen Titans and Las Vegas fanfiction, but won't start it until WAAAAAY later (after this one).

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY! Wow, it's 200_**6**_ already! Time goes by so fast… _ZOOOOM!_ Whoa, didja see that?

Oh, and the summary of this story doesn't exactly fit the story at all. I think I need to change it... but I'll do that later. Hehe.

Also, does anybody know when the Teen Titans' movie going to come out? No idea…

And I've been checking out a lot of fanfiction profiles and noticed that 8 out of 10 people actually put that they hate Hillary Duff. Weird. I don't hate her, but I don't like her either. Why though? Don't understand.

**THANKS FOR ALL THE SONGS! THEY ROCK!**

Over and out,

StarryTian


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